Karen Jackson, Author at Argyll Free Press

Ultimate Ears’ New Roll 2 Is Louder and More Colorful

May 24, 2016 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

In a world dominated by cylindrical or squarish Bluetooth speakers, it’s not difficult for Ultimate Ears’ circular Roll 2 to stand out. Especially since it was freshly updated to suit music-lovers on the move.

It hasn’t changed in form, remaining the same saucer-sized disk of rubber and tough fabric; its handy bungee cord loop is still on the back, and it’s still waterproof. For the same price of $99.99, the secrets of the new Roll 2 are all on the inside.

First of all, the new speaker is more powerful than its predecessor – 15 percent more than before – with crisp sounds even at higher volumes. Just like before, two Roll 2 units can be paired together to give off a broader sound stage, while battery life sticks at nine hours.

Range is another factor that has changed significantly; with the original Roll, you couldn’t put it further away than 65 feet from its Bluetooth A2DP source; the Roll 2 has been upgraded to remain connected at 100 feet.

Obviously, that’s the best-case scenario, assuming that there’s nothing in-between your phone and your Roll 2 to interfere with the signal. At the same time, you can also plug in the source via the old-school 3.5mm aux-in, if it doesn’t have a Bluetooth radio.

This jack and the microUSB charging port are both covered by a rubber flap, which is a clever way to keep them both waterproof. According to the description of the speaker, they are also waterproof themselves, which means you don’t have to worry about them getting wet if you haven’t closed the flap all the way.

In terms of external differences, UE has released a couple new color schemes: you can choose from the new Habanero and Tropical Anime, in addition to the ones you’ve had before: the grey/black Volcano, blue Atmosphere, and purple Sugar Plum.

Seeing that the “Floatie” was such a success as a pool and tub-friendly accessory for the Roll, UE has decided to include the inflatable ring as standard with every Roll 2. After you blow it up, the Floatie becomes a clever support for the Roll 2, making up for the fact that the speaker itself doesn’t float on its own.

As Amazon has released its own Bluetooth speaker since the first Roll made it on the shelves, it becomes clearer that the portable speaker market is moving forward.
Image Source: CNET

Low-Salt Diets Might Lead to Increased Risk of Heart Disease

May 22, 2016 By Karen Jackson 2 Comments

Following a low-salt diet might not be as good for you as it was previously suggested, according to a new study conducted by Canada’s McMaster University.

In fact, they might actually elevate the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death compared to diets that recommend average salt intake. What’s more, the study suggests that individuals with high blood pressure are the only ones who should worry about reducing the amount of salt they eat.

For the study, the tea, analyzed more than 130,000 people from 49 countries, focusing in particular on the relationship between salt intake and heart disease, stroke, and death in people with either high or low blood pressure.

According to the results from both of the groups, low-salt diets were linked to more strokes, heart attacks, and deaths in comparison to those following a diet with an average salt intake.

“These are extremely important findings for those who are suffering from high blood pressure,” explained lead author Andrew Mente of McMaster University. While the results showed that people with hypertension should not consume salt in high intakes, other people should not reduce their salt intake to low levels.

“Our findings are important because they show that lowering sodium is best targeted at those with hypertension who also consume high sodium diets,” Mente added.

The results are particularly timely since some new guidelines recommend a lowered sodium intake of 2.3 grams per day – a reduction from the current standard intake of 3.5 to 4 grams per day. It means they’re wrong because consuming less than three grams of salt per day could lead to health risks, no matter what the blood pressure is.

“Low sodium intake reduces blood pressure modestly, compared to average intake, but low sodium intake also has other effects, including adverse elevations of certain hormones which may outweigh any benefits,” Mente said.

Interestingly, while the results showed that a low salt intake could be unsafe after a certain point, people with hypertension are not encouraged to consume high levels of salt. In other words, too little and too much salt is equally bad for your health.

The study was featured in May 20 in the journal The Lancet.
Image Source: My Ecoshop

Apple Inks $1Bn Investment Deal with Chinese Rival of Uber

May 15, 2016 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

Taking a taxi is cheaper than driving your own car in China, and Uber’s toughest competitor in the country, Didi, owns 99 percent of the taxi-hailing market.

Apple Inc. has just poured $1 billion in Uber’s largest competitor in China, Didi Chuxing Technology Co. Analysts believe that the move is expected not only to help the U.S. company’s driverless car business grow, but also help Apple mend its tense relationships with Beijing.

The decision was announced a week after the Chinese government banned iTunes and iBooks from the country. The U.S. tech giant is directly interested in China as most of its manufacturing plants are based there. So, investing in the country’s largest home-grown ride-sharing business might be the best way to reduce the tensions.

Didi Chuxing is an important company for the Chinese government though the firm was nearly shut down when it started to offer ride-hailing services like Uber. Back then, Beijing said that Didi was putting fully licensed taxis out of business.

As a response, Didi agreed to allow taxi drivers to feature on the company’s e-hailing app and offer their services. Also, the company recently closed a deal with Shanghai-based taxi company Haibo to split revenues.

Didi network comprises 400 cities and 99 percent of the taxi-hailing market. In 200 cities the company makes profit. Furthermore, partnerships with local taxi companies also help Didi reduce traffic congestions, a growing problem in China’s urban areas.

Since up to 70 percent of Beijing residents own a car, it is very difficult to go by car to any area of the city. As a result, the government had to set some restrictions, deciding which days cars can be used. Furthermore, there’s a 100 percent tax on foreign vehicles brought to the country to discourage the Chinese from buying more cars.

So, Didi is now helping the government address the country’s ever growing fleet of vehicles. By offering cheap rides, the ride-hailing company helps both people who don’t have a car and those who seek a better alternative to public transportation. In China, it is cheaper to travel by taxi than by private car due to restrictions and taxes.

Didi is confident that with a fleet of 1 million taxis it can serve the entire population of China. At the moment, taxis are the key to solving transit issues and displacing car ownership.

Apple’s $1 billion bid is the same amount Uber is reportedly hemorrhaging in China. Plus, Didi is also interested in building a fleet of driverless cars just like Apple, which has now also the opportunity to build strong alliances with key Didi investors and partners such as Lyft, Tencent, Ali Baba, and Grab.

Image Source: Wikimedia

U.S. Poison Centers Report Surge in Children Ingesting Liquid Nicotine

May 9, 2016 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

More and more young children get poisoned with e-cigarettes, according to a new study that based its conclusions on the increasing number of U.S. poison center calls.

In the vast majority of the cases, children ingested liquid nicotine, which sometimes led to severe complications, such as seizures and comas.

For the study, researchers examined calls to poison centers about exposure to nicotine and tobacco products, but only involving children under the age 6. The records from January 2012 through April 2015 were examined and the resulting study published in the journal Pediatrics.

If you’re wondering why children are attracted to swallow these products, researchers found it’s because of the colorful packaging and flavored nicotine of the e-cigarettes.

Senior author Dr. Gary Smith, head of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, called the situation “an epidemic by any definition.”

In reaction to the unsettling news, the study’s authors call for better parent awareness in terms of keeping the devices out of the reach of young kids. Even though most of the children quickly recovered, one child reportedly died after ingesting liquid nicotine.

Between January 2012 and April 2015, the number of monthly calls regarding young kids inhaling, swallowing, or touching e-cigarettes rose from 14 to 223. During the study period, a total number of 4,128 cases were examined; most children were 2 years old or younger.

The study’s authors also urged stricter regulations and restrictions issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) be put in place. Last week, the FDA required federal review of the devices and their ingredients.

The agency also plans to supplement the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention law by requiring child-resistant packaging and nicotine exposure warnings on the labels.

The Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention rule will take effect this summer and it will require that liquid nicotine containers be child-resistant.

Dr. Joan Shook, chief safety officer at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, who was not involved in the study, called the poisonings “a huge public health issue.”

It’s a real problem that many e-cigarette users don’t treat these products as medication or toxins and they don’t keep them out of reach of children. Attractive flavors could mean poison in homes with children.
Image Source: Flickr

Panic Button Feature Must Be Installed on Mobiles Sold in India

April 27, 2016 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

According to the latest data, roughly 338,000 crimes against women were reported in India in 2014. That’s more than 900 crimes a day, or almost one every two minutes.

When all else failed, the country’s authorities hoped to combat this issue with technology. On Monday, the government announced that all mobile phones sold in India starting from January 2016 will have to be equipped with a panic button feature.

Women will be able to activate the function on their smartphones by pressing the power button three times consecutively.

For those older phones with a physical keyboard still incorporated – these remain popular in the country – the panic button will involve holding either the 5 or 9 key. Officials also announced that from January of 2018, all phones will have to be fitted with a GPS system as well.

Technology’s ultimate purpose is to make human life better, and what better use for it to improve the security of women? This was the official statement released by the government with the announcement.

According to India’s National Crime Records Bureau, the 337,922 reports of crimes against women over the course of 2014 showed a 9.2 percent spike from the year before. The greatest incidence of crime was assaulting women with “intent to outrage her modesty, kidnapping and abduction, and rape.”

Over the last few years, India saw a massive interest in the smartphone industry, having become the world’s second-biggest market, closely behind China. In other words, there are more phones in the country than ever.

However, Pankaj Mohindroo, president of the Indian Cellular Association, says that while the new measures sound good in theory, they will surely create an obstacle for the poorer Indians to access phones.

Mohindroo wrote an open letter to telecom secretary JS Deepak, explaining that even though having a GPS in all phones will increase women’s security, the measure “will not be in the interest of consumers at the bottom of the pyramid.”

His letter, published in the Economic Times, shows that having a GPS installed in a handset will increase the cost to consumers between 266 and 400 rupees ($4-$6). In a country where the average wage is around 270 rupees a day, this will be a real problem.

As of now, India is among the countries that lack a centralized emergency number, similar to the U.S. 911. However, rumor has it that a new nationwide number, 112, will be introduced within a few months.
Image Source: BGR

Chrome OS May Soon Get Direct Access to Google Play Store

April 25, 2016 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

There are two mobile consumer operating systems created by Google: the more popular Android and Chrome OS.

Android has gained more traction among users for its touchscreen optimization and for being so ubiquitous as a smartphone platform. On the other hand, Chrome OS was designed for the laptop or desktop platform, which means it doesn’t work on touchscreen.

For a long time the two Google platforms existed side by side, but catering for their own separate market. But over the last two years, rumor had it that Google was eventually going to push Android and Chrome OS together.

Even though people thought the platforms would merge, Google has always denied the possibility. However, the company’s executives are now saying the two will be closer aligned.

The way they operate has always been one of the most basic structural differences between the two platforms.

Chrome OS was designed to rely heavily on Google’s infrastructure – you can download and run apps on the device, but the Chrome OS platform caches data from the Google service in local storage and sync it when it gets an Internet connection.

One of the projects that would have seen Google’s platforms coming much closer involved giving Chrome OS the ability to run Android apps. Google – and outside developers – has already experimented with this, giving users some Android apps that can now run on the Chrome OS platform.

It’s called the ARC project, and it enables Chrome OS to run apps written for other platforms including Android and Windows; they only need a little tweaking first. Even though Google has held off any official news on the subject, it appears the company has indeed been quietly working on the project.

But more recently, Reddit user TheWiseYoda spotted something interesting: the option to “Enable Android Apps to run on your Chromebook” has appeared in the Google Chromebook settings.

The new option is not particularly exciting without the reference to the Google Play Store it contains. It would mean that over a million applications would become available for the Chromebook platform, linked directly to the Android collection.

If Google will eventually green-light this project, it would open up a potentially huge market for developers, while also expanding the functionality of our Chromebooks.

Nevertheless, it would be a smart move on Google’s behalf to allow Android apps to run on the Chromebook, bringing all sorts of good news for consumers who own both an Android smartphone and Chromebook.
Image Source: OMG Chrome

Female Astronauts Take the Pill to Suppress Space Periods

April 23, 2016 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

Sally Ride, the first American woman to go to space

Talking about tampons still makes a lot of people squeamish – including NASA engineers. When Sally Ride because the first American woman to fly to space, scientists went to great lengths to make sure they prevent any embarrassing moment.

And by great lengths, we mean they pondered her tampons, weighed them, and had a professional sniffer smell them to see if the non-deodorized ones wouldn’t have too strong of a scent in the confined space capsule.

Engineers even tried to consider how many she might need for her week in space – leading to the famous and hilarious question: “Is 100 the right number?” However, it shows the NASA team was trying to be thoughtful.

There were also other concerns before the first woman went into space, such as the possibility that menstruation would cause them to become weepy or unable to function. Probably the biggest concern of them all was that the menstrual cycle might somehow not work in space.

Scientists worried that the lack of gravity would induce retrograde menstruation, a frightening condition that causes the flow of blood to go back through the fallopian tubes into the abdomen.

However, nothing out of the ordinary happened. It turns out the uterus is pretty good at getting rid of the lining sans gravity. Handling space tampons was probably not very comfortable, and space cramps are probably as much of a nuisance as Earth cramps.

But this has caused scientists to ponder the possibility for female astronauts to not have periods at all. The technology is already here, and using an oral contraceptive continuously is currently the safest choice for astronauts to keep turn their menstruation off during space missions.

While contraceptive implants and IUDs are also options, the pill already has a pretty good track record in space. Female astronauts have already tried them out without the fanfare that occurred with Sally Ride’s space tampons.

But it’s not just space ladies that are opting out of their periods. According to polls, women on Earth are increasingly interested in suppressing their menstrual cycle, which gynecologists say is perfectly safe.

As far as long-term space travel is concerned, skipping the flow has added benefits. A woman who would go to Mars and back – spending three years in space – would need roughly 1,100 pills. It definitely adds some weight to a mission, but they are less cumbersome than all those tampons.
Image Source: Universe Today

Healthy People Could Hold the Key to Treating the Sick

April 12, 2016 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

A major study that analyzed more than half a million people who could be carrying genetic mutations for 584 severe childhood diseases has identified 13 who do present the mutations for the devastating conditions without the symptoms of the disease.

The implication of this discovery is that something in the human genetic makeup could prevent people who inherit the mutation for severe conditions – such as cystic fibrosis – to ever develop the disease.

If that hypothesis is confirmed, identifying the “guilty” genetic factors that lead to survival could spur the development of new treatments.

Somewhat intriguing is the fact that the 13 may not even be aware of their special status; they just took part in different genetic surveys but never signed something that could allow researchers to contact them with a follow-up.

But according to Stephen Friend of Sage Bionetworks in Seattle, Washington, the findings should be enough to prompt a systematic search of the 13 subjects.

He and other 29 scientists have reported in the Nature Biotechnology journal on a massive retrospective search for survey participants who might be immune to the hazards of inherited diseases.

They gathered data from existing surveys conducted by commercial genetics firm like 23andMe, the 1000 Genomes Project, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, and others. They were on the lookout for healthy people who carry the genes of “severe, early-onset and often highly lethal illnesses.”

Researchers had chosen childhood diseases because participants of DNA testing are adults, so there’s no chance the conditions had not manifested themselves.

Buried in the 589,306 genetic samples they combed through for evidence, the team found 13 people who carried mutations for eight of 584 diseases they were looking for – none of them showed symptoms, however.

It’s still a mystery what causes immunity to their own biological inheritance. Scientists believe that some particular factor in their genetic makeup acts as a buffer against the consequences of an inherited mutation.

Thanks to the more advanced tools, researchers can look for people who should be sick, and finding them could be a starting point for searching for genome mutations that could give them ideas for better therapies.

As Stephen Friend said, “Study the healthy. Don’t just study the sick.” His co-author, Eric Schadt of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said that while most genetic studies focus on identifying the cause of a disease, the new study saw a tremendous opportunity in finding out what keeps people healthy in spite of all odds.
Image Source: Science Daily

Subway To Post Calorie Counts in Stores Across the US

April 6, 2016 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

Even though the federal government has delayed once again the rule that would require restaurants to post calorie counts on their menus, Subway is going ahead and will do so anyway.

According to the sandwich chain, its new menu boards that include calorie counts have already started to roll out around the United States, and by April 11, they should be displayed in all 27,000 stores opened in the country.

Restaurant chains have been waiting for the Food and Drug Administration to post its final guidance and enforcement of a rule that requires all food sellers with more than 20 locations to post the calorie information on their menus.

As the execution of the law has been postponed once again, Subway took the decision to forge ahead on its own.

Lanette Kovachi, the leader of Subway’s global nutrition efforts, said that the sandwich chain wants to give consumers what they’re expecting, even though the FDA rule has not come into effect yet.

Back in 2010, a rule was passed requiring major chains to post calorie counts on menus, a move that was part of a federal health care overhaul. This decision was supposed to help Americans make better dietary choices.

The FDA has weighed retailers’ concerns for what felt like an eternity, but the final rules were finally released in 2014. Establishments had until the end of 2015 to comply, but some obstacles caused the agency to push back the deadline to the end of 2016.

The last delay – which gave restaurant chains time until a year after the FDA publishes its final guidance – was caused by the fact that many companies have lobbied for an exemption.

Domino’s, for instance, claimed the rule makes no sense for food chains that get a lot of their orders over the phone or online.

However, Subway is not the only one to move forward in spite of the delay. Panera Bread started making this information public in 2010, and McDonald’s Corp. followed suit two years later.

According to the National Restaurant Association, most food companies seem to be waiting for the final guidance from the FDA before they begin posting the information.

In the meantime, Subway has already posted calorie counts in about 4,000 stores located in New York, California, and other states where this information is already required. Since January, the food chain has included the new menu boards in another 7,000 restaurants.

However, it’s still unclear if and how the calorie counts change people’s behavior.
Image Source: NBC News

“Destination: Mars” Exhibit Uses Virtual Reality for Space Exploration

April 5, 2016 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

NASA’s “Destination: Mars” is one of the most engaging combinations between virtual reality and space travel, allowing the user to take a tour of Mars with none other by Dr. Buzz Aldrin, the second person on the moon.

Viewers will also be guided by Erisa Hines, driver on the Curiosity Mars Rover, who will present the vehicle as well as real sites on Mars where important discoveries were made.

The virtual experience is based on imagery sent back to Earth by the Curiosity Rover, NASA’s car-sized robot which landed on Mars in August 2012.

The exhibition “Destination: Mars” is based on OnSight, a software tool co-created by Microsoft and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for the Mars rover mission operations. Thanks to OnSight, NASA scientists have gained a more intuitive understanding of the area explored by Mars rovers.

Users who take the tour via virtual reality headset see exactly what scientists do when they look at imagery sent by the Curiosity Rover; they can also interact with a 3D simulation of the Martian surface and conduct science experiments from a first-person perspective.

Before OnSight, scientists working on rover operations were required to “examine Mars imagery on a computer screen, and make inferences about what they are seeing.”

Thanks to advancements in virtual reality, research is now done in a new way, allowing scientists to see clearly details of a planet over 100 million miles away from Earth – while sitting in their offices.

Dave Lavery, program executive for Solar System Exploration at NASA Headquarters, said that OnSight has “fundamentally changed our perception of Mars, and how we understand the Mars environment surrounding the rover.”

This is not the first time augmented reality has paired up with NASA to advance science. Microsoft has previously sent their AR headsets HoloLens to the International Space Station, where astronaut Scott Kelly tested it during his stay abroad the station.

Augmented reality creates a mixed reality experience by overlaying digital images on top of the actual environment surrounding you. After Kelly returned to Earth last month, he said VR has “a lot of potential when it comes to space exploration.”

Besides strategically partnering with Microsoft, NASA has also done the right thing involving Dr. Buzz Aldrin in the “Destination: Mars” project. He has proved to be one of the most convincing advocates for the efforts of landing humans on Mars.

With virtual reality, sending humans to Mars in the 2030s can become a more inclusive experience, allowing the public to follow the experience the astronauts will have as they study the Martian surface.
Image Source: Mars-One

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